Photography on Dave Nelson

DragonCon 2016 Pictures

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:28:24 +0000

I had a great time at DragonCon this year, actually got to play Dungeons & Dragons Adventure League on 3 mornings in a row!

More pictures are over at my SmugMug site.

DragonCon 2015

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 20:00:06 +0000

We had a good time at DragonCon this year. It was a strange year and I felt kind of off the whole show. But I had a good time talking with friends and taking pictures.

The Costume Contest and Masquerade were great, seeing the BSG folks and Karen Gillian was great, and listening the Jim Butcher is always fun. Steranko was a crack-up and the American Horror: Freak Show folks were a blast. The Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra was amazing and Rasputina was delightful.

DragonCon Photography Team Computer Setup

Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:00:09 +0000

As a volunteer at DragonCon one of my current responsibilities is getting the computers setup for use by the photographers and the librarians. This year I had to re-learn a lot of what worked so well last year as my notes were not complete, so I decided to write them up more thoroughly this year and post them hear so that I will not loose them.

At the 2014 DragonCon we used a total of 5 computers, 3 for the photographers to drop off photographs at and 2 for the librarians to use for key wording. The computers were running Windows 7 and required a lot of Windows updates and video driver updates before they were ready to use, luckily the internet connection at the show was fairly fast on Thursday afternoon when I was setting them up.

DragonCon 2014 Recap

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 13:16:31 +0000

We had a great time at DragonCon this year. The costumes were amazing, the photography staff did a great job capturing the event, and we actually got some sleep. Our son Eli stayed with the grandparents where he got to run wild and play with new toys.

My favorite costumes were How to Train Your Dragon, the Music Box Dolls from Chitty Bang Bang, and The Dreamer.

[![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-GhZts9v/0/S/dave-nelson-20140831-213907-0560-S.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-w6CtMvx)



[![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-Rp4Fdrh/0/S/dave-nelson-20140831-221323-0610-S.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-Rp4Fdrh)  





  Bobbie made a great costume from a lost episode of [Doctor Who named "The Celestial Toymaker"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Celestial_Toymaker).



  [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-RwbJvgZ/0/S/dave-nelson-20140830-222916-0382-S.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-RwbJvgZ) 
  
  
    [![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/944x531_b/p0122yzw.jpg)](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/galleries/p0122z2l) 
    
    
    
    
    
      My favorite panels were Colin Baker, [Ron Glass](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-zPHCpsX), [Jeri Ryan](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-zHs3Q82), [Terri Gilliam](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-B5Kn4d4), [Evanna Lynch](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-PhcGgxm), and [Sparkfun](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-CqQCkVD).
    
    
    
      [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-hJQ4TB7/0/Th/dave-nelson-20140829-164028-0052-Th.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-zPHCpsX) 
      
      
        [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-zHs3Q82/0/Th/dave-nelson-20140830-122222-0234-Th.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-zHs3Q82)
      
      
      
        [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-B5Kn4d4/0/Th/dave-nelson-20140831-131623-0425-Th.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-B5Kn4d4)
      
      
      
        [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-PhcGgxm/0/Th/dave-nelson-20140831-110613-0405-Th.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-PhcGgxm)
      
      
      
        [![](https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-CqQCkVD/0/Th/dave-nelson-20140831-121641-0414-Th.jpg)](http://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2014/i-CqQCkVD)

Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites by Syl Arena

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 04:00:49 +0000

I read this book on Safari Books Online using the Safari Books app on an iPad.

I am not a big fan of using flash in the type of photography I usually do, but I am trying to improve my skills with speedlites and strobes. I have an old Canon 550EX and a pair of Yongnuo cheapo flashes with Yongnuo wireless triggers.

The Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 5 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 04:00:50 +0000

I read this book on Safar Books Online using an iPad and the Safari Books Online App.

This is the 4th Scott Kelby Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Photographers book I have read, and they all have been worth the time.

These books have been where I have gotten most of my personal photography workflow from and why I made the switch from doing all of my post-production in Photoshop to doing it all in Lightroom. In fact I only open up Photoshop to do quick panoramas (I have other software I use for large intricate panos) and for extensive retouching or composites.

Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers. By Zack Arias

Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:00:05 +0000

I bought this book from Safari Books Online and read it using the Kindle app on my iPad.

I really like Zack Arias as a photographer and a person. He is very open about what he does, why he does it, his triumphs, and his troubles.

Photography Q&A is full of questions that amateur and professional photographers have asked Zack with his honest and heartfelt answers. So much good information here, it is an amazing amount of information.

Canon 5D Mark III: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Ibarionex Perello

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:42 +0000

I read this book on Safari Books Online using a web browser and an iPad.

I have read the “From Snapshots to Great Shots” for the 7D and the G12 and they were pretty good. So I decided to give the one for the 5D Mark III a try and it did not disappoint.

Unlike the books “Canon EOS 5D Mark III by James Johnson” and “Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Field Guide by Charlotte K. Lowrie” this book tells you not only about the features and functions of the Canon 5D Mark III but also tells you why you may choose one setting over another.

Two books about the Canon 5D Mark III

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:06 +0000

I read both of these books using Safari Books Online by O’Reilly Media.

They are very similar books and both of them are very similar to the owners manual that comes with the Canon 5D Mk III. But they do present the information in a way that is much easier to understand and retain than the manual.

What is missing here is an answer to the question, “Why would I use that setting instead of the other?” You will have to find some other book or better yet books to explain that. Even better, get out there and experiment like crazy. Buy a cheap mannequin off eBay to use as a practice subject and take pictures until your camera stops working.

Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous by Brian Smith

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:52 +0000

I read this book using Safari Books Online from O’Reilly Media.

Brian Smith is an amazing photographer and has a personality to match. He is able to quickly make a personal connection with people from all walks of life and create photographs that highlight their personality and emotion.

“Secrets of Great Portrait Photography” gives us insight to the methods Brian uses to get close to his subjects and capture images that make the client, usually magazine creative directors, and the subject happy with the results.

A New Camera

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:00:42 +0000

I have finally upgraded to a new camera body. I have been shooting with a Canon EOS 7D for a long time now, well… a long time for me. I only hold onto a camera body until the new version of it comes out, then I sell the old one and buy the new one.

I started with inexpensive point-and-shoots, I never owned a film based SLR, and worked my way very slowly up to where I am today. I had the Canon 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, and 7D. Out of those only the 20D and 40D were really great cameras for me, those two cameras did everything I wanted at the time and produced images that made me very happy. The other cameras were lacking in some significant way, that is not to say they were bad or that I did not create some great pictures with them, but they did not make me want to get out there and take pictures every day that I owned them.

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:00:47 +0000

I read this book as a PDF bought from O’Reily Media’s Safari Books Online mostly using an iPad and iBooks but also using the Preview app on a MacBook Pro.

I really dislike showing any photographs without the minimum of rotate, crop, exposure correct, color correct, and export at the needed sizes and Lightroom allows me to do that very quickly.

Photoshop Compositing Secrets by Matt Kloskowski

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:00:48 +0000

I read this book on Safari Books Online and followed along with Adobe Photoshop.

The full name of the book is a riduclously long “Photoshop Compositing Secrets: Unlocking the Key to Perfect Selections and Amazing Photoshop Effects for Totally Realistic Composites by Matt Kloskowski” that would guess was chosen to increase its chance of being found in Google.

This is a great book if you need to do compositing. The book consists of a collection of tutorials that give real world examples of how to do many different types of composites. All of the images used in the book are available for download so that you may follow along. I found the repetitive nature of the book annoying and yet helpful, repetition helps me remember how to do something but after many many times I just want to move on to something else.

Roy Lantz

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:27:59 +0000

Hey, one of my pictures has been published in Roy Lantz’s Ebenezer Scrooge’s Good Tyme Gazette newsletter.

You can also see more photos of Roy on my website https://photo.davenelson.com/Events/Roy-Lantz.

Dave’s Photography Workflow (Part 1)

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:00:45 +0000

My current workflow focuses on future-proofing my photos so that I can take advantage of any new software that comes along. I do not want to be dependent upon any piece of software to work with my photos, so I stick to formats like JPG and Canon’s raw.

This post covers how I get the images onto my computer and begin the editing process. I currently use Apple Macintosh computers with Adobe Lightroom but it wasn’t to long ago that I used Windows XP, ACDSee, and Photoshop for the same results.

National Geographic Photo Books

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:00:42 +0000

I believe that to be a great photographer I should study a lot of images created by other people, especially those considered great by a consensus. So I spend a lot of time looking at books about art history that contain photos of paintings by “The Masters” and photo books like the two I am writing about here.

Basketball: Norcross vs. Mountainview

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:32:40 +0000

It was a great game at Shiloh High this weekend.

It was great to get out and take my first sports photos of the year. I have a lot of open days left on my schedule, if you have an event you would like photographed please let me know.

Barber Vintage Festival

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:02:04 +0000

The rain did put a damper on things, but it was a great weekend with a lot of vintage motorcycles, racing, stunting, and talking.

DragonCon 2009 pictures are up!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:35:51 +0000

The Gallery is at https://photo.davenelson.com/DragonCon/DragonCon-2009/.
Here are some quick highlights

Here are some cool searches

Photography is not a Crime

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:39:20 +0000

Please do not let this happen to you. If you have the time and stubbornness please push the issue of Photographer’s rights as far as you can.

Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs was harassed recently in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park trying to take photos of the World of Coca-Cola museum and told that he was not allowed to take photos of the building.

I will be getting in contact with management of the museum and see if I can find out what their policy actually is.

Painting with Light Workshop

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:03:32 +0000

On Thursday April 9th I participated in a “Painting with Light Workshop” at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, GA. Judith Pishnery of Pisconeri Studio & Workshops brought us together for a night of photography and learning.

We began the night around 7pm filling out releases and donning nametags on the porch of the visitor’s center. After an introduction by Judith and some words from the cemetery staff we were left to wander the cemetery to get acquainted and take some pre-nightfall photos.

SmugMug Sponsoring Vincent Laforet’s Next Big Project

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:04:59 +0000

I have been using SmugMug to host and sell my photography and seeing their participation in the photography community is one of the reasons I continue to use them.

Vincent was one of the first people chosen to test and stretch the limits of the Canon EOS 5D Mk III which he did wonderfully with “Reverie.” SmugMug hosts the video of “The Making of Reverie” along with other content from Vincent, here is his SmugMug home page.

2008 Wings over Marietta Open House & Airshow

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:59:48 +0000

Had a great time at the 2008 Wings over Marietta Open House & Airshow. This was my first opportunity to see the USAF Thunderbirds. It was a beautiful day with a wide variety of aircraft to see.

Photos of the 2008 Wings over Marietta Open House & Airshow Gallery or you can view the photos as a slideshow.

Red Sox vs. Dodgers

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:37:46 +0000

Today was a beautiful day for baseball. I had a great time photgraphing the Red Sox and Dodgers playing a great game at Pinckneyville Park. Photographs of the game are now available.

Using Lightroom for the First Time

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:49:27 +0000

For DragonCon this year I decided to give Lightroom 2 a try. I have changed a lot of things in my photo processing procedures, not the least of which has been the change from Windows to Macintosh OS X, and Lightroom sounded like a good fit.

On Thursday evening I installed the Lightroom 2 30-day trial on the Apple PowerBook G4 laptop that I would be using for the weekend. Chris [insert last name] helped me get started with Lightroom showing me some of the basics. The biggest thing that got me excited about Lightroom is the ease that metadata could be added to images and the ability to easily search for and filter images making it really easy to find images that have been tagged.

DragonCon 2008 Photographs

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:26:59 +0000

I had a great time at DragonCon this year, the costume contests were fantastic, the guests told wonderful stories, and the fans were a lot of fun.

Here are some links to take you directly into the gallery:

I hope to write a post about how I processed images this year. Lightroom 2 is really fantastic, I did not use Photoshop to edit any of the 1,181 images in the gallery.

Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:01:21 +0000

On Saturday August 23rd I spent a beautiful night participating in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk in Atlanta Georgia around the Buckhead – Lenox area. At 7:00 pm about 45 photographers gathers in front of the Terminus 100 building at the corner of Peachtree and Piedmont eager to attack the neighborhood.

I did not really feel inspired until I got to Dante’s Down the Hatch where I stepped inside and got a couple pics of the crocodiles inside. The energy inside the restaurant and seeing the reptiles fired me up to get out there and take a lot of photos.

DragonCon is Coming

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:23:36 +0000

It is almost that time again, DragonCon is less than a month away. I am a staff photographer for DragonCon and have 7 years of DragonCon photographs on my web site.

This year I am most excited about meeting Hayden Panettiere, James Kyson Lee, and George Takei of Heroes, Sean Astin and Brad Dourif from The Lord of the Rings, Gareth David Lloyd and James Marsters from Torchwood, Beau Bridges from the upcoming Max Payne movie, Joel Hodgson the creator and host of MST3K, James Callis, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Tahmoh Penikett, and Katee Sackhoff, from Battlestar Galactica, Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin from Firefly and Serenity, Randal L. Schwartz computer geek extroidinaire, and my favorite science fiction author Mike Resnick.

Photoshop and Meta Data

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:00:03 +0000

I have had my suspicions for a couple of years that Photoshop had been stripping out the EXIF data that I inserted into my images with Exifer, and now after a bit of testing I have discovered that Photoshop CS3 does indeed remove EXIF data when saving JPG files.

Here is the workflow that I have been trying out lately.

Take pictures in JPG format
Use Exifer to add EXIF and select IPTC data
Use Microsoft Pro Photo Tools to add GPS and address information (geotagging)
Copy all images into an “Originals” folder
Edit the images being very selective as to what pictures are to be Photoshopped and shared with the public
Publish to SmugMug, Facebook, Flickr, and/or my blog.
Copy images to the Storage Area Network device

Meta data in the form of EXIF and IPTC information makes it much easier to search for files years later and web sites like SmugMug will take the EXIF data and use them for descriptions, locations, and more on their web site.

Photogrpahy Blogs

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:27:15 +0000

Almost every day I use Google Reader to read RSS feeds from many different web sites, 44 of them today, and I would like to share the photography feeds.

The Big Picture

The Big Picture is a blog over at boston.com where they post some of the most amazing pictures of the week. These picture regularly inspire me to get out there and do that thing that I do.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/

Stone Mountain Park Fantastic Fourth Celebration

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:54:10 +0000

We really enjoyed ourselves at Stone Mountain Park Thursday night with the laser light show and fireworks display. I get excited about any opportunity to take pictures of fireworks and this night proved to be exceptional. I didn’t get a lot of pictures, but having the carving at Stone Mountain as a backdrop to the fireworks makes for some wonderful pictures.

Raptors T-Ball

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:47:04 +0000

It was a great game and want to thank Sam for the opportunity to come out and take photos. Head on over to SmugMug and check out the pictures of Raptors T-Ball action.

When taking pictures of children playing sports I prefer to be at eye level or lower to the players, with the Raptors I was able to sit on the field and get the type of shots that I really like. I am making a lot more pictures available than I normally would since I probably won’t have a chance to shoot another game this season.

Microsoft Pro Photo Tools for Geotagging

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:00:21 +0000

I learned about Microsoft Pro Photo Tools a couple of months ago when researching ways to geotag my photos. Version 1.0 of the software allows you to easily edit the EXIF and IPTC meta data of your JPG images.

After using the tool for a couple of months I have reverted to using the tried-and-true Exifer to add copyright, contact, and descriptions to my images. I feel like Microsoft Pro Photo Tools does not make it clear exactly what it is I am editing, EXIF or IPTC.

War on Photography

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:00:11 +0000

There is a new war being waged, at a time when more people have access to more cameras of all types there is wave a fear, hysteria, and doubt washing over the world. It is only in the last couple of months that this war has come to light, more and more people are being affected by it and getting thier voices heard on TV and the internet.

You can begin reading with this article and video about a New Mexico photographer who is detained by police for trying to do his job. His claim is that the police did not make it clear to him where he could safely work and then attacked him AFTER he left the area.